


Jaune's Tapes

by NotSoConspicuous



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Jaune is Jacket
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:54:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25141960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoConspicuous/pseuds/NotSoConspicuous
Summary: A string of vigilante activity has been reported across Vale... so why does Jaune look so nervous?
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Ruby Rose
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	1. Pyrrha's Investigation

**Currently writing this down because I need to get it out of my head, if you people like it then so be it. More tags will be added later on pertaining to... certain events to come.**

* * *

Pyrrha's partner had always been jittery, but not nearly to this extent. When he first introduced himself in the locker room before initiation he looked perfectly fine. However, things took an unexpected turn after Blake's encounter with the White Fang on the docks. After that day Jaune was... unresponsive. He seemed completely devoid of life, functioning but not feeling. He got up to none of his usual antics, ate next to nothing, and everyone who looked into the matter came up empty handed.

Then, he was suddenly terrified of _everything_. It seemed he picked up a near constant stutter overnight, noticeably flinched at loud noises, and couldn't bring himself to _look_ at Blake. He completely gave up his pursuit of Weiss and seemed to only find peace in his work. His grades were better than ever, even in combat class, but people were still concerned as to what sparked this sudden change. After ages of this nonsense, Pyrrha was going to find her answer.

She had already tried asking him directly, which rewarded her with nothing. So, she resorted to drastic measures. On Friday, Pyrrha called an emergency meeting with teams RWBY and (J)NPR to request assistance. As they sat in a circle, she informed them of the purpose of the meeting, and everyone was in agreement... almost.

"So, what are we sleuthing? Detective Nora is on the case!" the hammer wielding redhead proclaimed with an energetic fist pump.

Ren tried to be the voice of reason, "I don't think we should go invading our leader's privacy, maybe we should just ask him?"

Pyrrha sighed a great sigh, "It won't work, I already tried asking. So unfortunately, Nora may be right."

"Are you guys listening to yourselves? Jaune needs _help_ , therapy, something other than _this_!" Ruby butted in with.

"We can't force him to go to therapy Ruby, and we have no proof anything is wrong with him in the first place. We need solid evidence before we all confront him." Blake countered.

"Are we sure anything _is_ wrong with that dolt? His grades have been improving and he has not bothered me with his lackluster attempts to court me in forever." Weiss said.

"Have you been paying attention at all? Vomit Boy looks and sounds leagues worse than Velvet when she's **embarrassed**. We need to look into this and that's final." Yang stated.

"Fine" the heiress acquiesced, "where should we start oh great detectives?" she mocked.

Nora looked as if she was about to explode from excitement, "Everyone fan out! Check the floor boards, the walls, his desk, or maybe even his scroll! What could be troubling our great leader? What could be reducing him to such a state o-" she stopped as Blake dropped a box in the middle of the circle.

"Found something, it was under his bed behind some comic books." Blake said.

"Is it suspicious in any way?" Ren inquired.

"We're about to find out!" Nora exclaimed as she tore the box open in one fluid, mighty movement to find... more comics. "Well that's a disappointment." Nora complained.

As everyone else looked around, Ruby dug through the box of comic books. 'Jaune has good taste.' Ruby thought to herself. As she was digging through the box her hand felt something... _hard_. Upon closer inspection some small video tapes were buried under the comics. She pocketed them all, deciding to watch them over the weekend. After all, Jaune wouldn't mind if she borrowed some movies from him to watch on her scroll... right?

*****

The rag tag group of detectives came up empty handed for the day and agreed to meet again to discuss their findings next week. Both teams retired to their dorms to enjoy their Friday afternoon. When Ruby finished her homework, she laid down on her bed and inserted one of the tapes into her scroll. That's when she noticed something peculiar.

The tape was long, clocking in at over five and a half hours. Then, the screen turned black and a warning in plain white text flashed up on the screen.

**WARNING: IT IS RECOMMENDED THE VIEWER USES HEADPHONES FOR THE BEST VIEWING EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE**

**EXPLICIT CONTENT AHEAD**

**VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED**

Ruby was redder than her cloak. 'Is this... what I think it is? I mean it _was_ hidden under a box of comics. I wonder what he's into?'

She paused the video and went to grab her headphones. After picking them up, she stared at them in contemplation, 'Wait, no. This isn't right, I should just return these and forget I ever saw them.' she thought, before she realized something.

'Yeah and then I would just have to _hope_ he doesn't see me return these raunchy videos, right.' she "reasoned" in her head with a sarcastic tone. 'I guess it's too late to back out now.' she decided.

Ruby plugged in her headphones and then resumed watching the tape, her face still beet red. After about half a minute of the warning screen, the screen turned blue with the same white text reading...

 **TAPE** **1**

**APARTMENT BUILDING**

**EAST 7TH** **STREET**

It vanished a little over five seconds later, and Ruby was immediately confused. This was... security footage. The top right corner had a timestamp and the location name: FRONT DOOR ENTRANCE HALLWAY. Before the poor girl could process what she was seeing, someone entered the front door.

It was a little difficult to make out on the scratchy security footage, but she still recognized the figure as he had been all over the news as of late. It was a man, wearing a brown Letterman jacket with beige like sleeves and a yellow J patch. In addition he had on jeans, white sneakers, and a rooster mask. She watched on, questions wracking her brain as the figure pulled out a shotgun and gave it a good pump.

*****

**On that very night...**

Rage. Rage was the only thing coursing through him. He should have been shaking in his shoes from what he set out to do, but he walked in with a perfect calm. The satisfying pump of the shotgun was just one of many things spurring him on. He crept down the hallway, spotting some stairs at the end of it. He pulled out a wooden bat, and silently traversed the stairs.

Each creak didn't phase him, the hindered visibility of his mask didn't concern him. He knew why he was there, and he knew _who_ was there. There would be no mistakes. At the top of the stairs was another hallway, still no people. He opened the door into a kitchen. On his immediate left was a door, he opened it to find an empty bathroom.

'No one in the bathroom, still six left.' he reminded himself. He peeked around the corner into the kitchen proper. 'A stove, an oven, a dining table, and...' he paused as he spotted his target. A lone White Fang member wandering the kitchen, '...and one faunus **fuck**.' he finished with seething anger. The poor man never stood a chance.

He charged just as the faunus was about to round the corner, bringing his bat across the thug's face. He flew backwards, landing on his back and barely conscious. Jaune quickly straddled the man and brought his bat down into the faunus's face over and over and over again. The man twitched, and then faded from this world. It was his first kill, but it would be one of many to come.

He kicked down the next door to his left, shotgun in hand. A faunus woman was sitting on the couch watching TV, and her guts were suddenly filled with pellets. The mighty sound of the shotgun singing rang throughout the entire apartment. Another crook burst in from the bedroom, but was too slow on the draw. Both of them lay on the floor, crimson puddles pooling out from under them.

'Kill them before they kill you kill them before they kill you kill them-' he repeated the mantra in his head as he opened the door at the back of the kitchen. The unsuspecting guy already making his way towards the killer's path, until he was stopped in his tracks. The last thing he saw was a bat. He grabbed the unconscious man by the shirt collar and slammed his head into the floor repeatedly.

'Four down, two to go. They know you're here, stay vigilant.' he prepared his shotgun, as he entered the last room. One member, just finished equipping his firearm, opened fire. A few bullets grazed him, one hit him square in the chest, it did not matter. His aura protected him as the second to last enemy hit the floor, the last one was not too smart.

He was still on the couch, believing whatever to be happening as a problem his lackeys could deal with, until he was the last one left. He stood from the couch, fear in his eyes. He went for the gun on the ground, but fell face first as the next shotgun shot shattered his legs. He tried to crawl away, but to no avail. The killer got on top of his back, and snapped his neck. The sickening sound being the last loud noise to grace the room until only the whirring sounds of the air conditioning remained.

The masked murderer looked in the mirror of the bathroom, blood unevenly splattered across the front of his jacket and on his rooster mask. He cleaned as much as he could before exiting the bathroom. He went up to a computer in the bedroom, took the security tape of his deeds, and grabbed some keys from his last victim's pockets. He sped off in a stolen car to escape before the police came.

*****

A million questions rushed through Ruby's brain as the video went to black again. 'Why? Why does he have this footage? How does he have this footage? Unless... no, NO! I refuse to believe it! Jaune's a good guy, he's a good friend! He would never do something like this, at least not without a reason or-' her thoughts stopped abruptly as the screen went to blue again. The text read the following...

**POST TAPE 1**

**BREAKDOWN**

**SAFE HOUSE**

The footage started shortly after, displaying a dull grey room. The walls, the floor, the ceiling all that same grey with only a single light bulb on the ceiling illuminating the room. The camera was placed on a desk, facing a chair in the middle of the room with the entrance door to the right. The murderer entered and threw off his mask, Ruby's mind couldn't process what she was seeing.

It was Jaune all right, no amount of denial could get past those five crucial seconds of footage. Jaune leaned off screen and audibly threw up. When he returned to the screen he looked pale as a ghost, breathing heavily and hunched over the desk in front of the camera. He started nervously babbling...

"I can't believe I did that... I can't believe I actually... killed someone." His breathing quickened, shakily as it did, "Not just someone but some _people_... what am I gonna do?" He started crying, tears streaming down his face as he spoke even faster, "What would my team think? What would _Ruby_ think? How am I ever gonna be able to look Blake in the eyes again? I'm so stupid... I'm so **FUCKING STUPID!** " he screamed, slamming his fist on the desk.

"I shouldn't have done this, I should **NOT** have done this. What was I thinking? They killed Beard, but he wouldn't have wanted me to do this. So why? Why did I ever-" he stopped, realization dawning in his eyes. He wiped the tears from his eyes and a furious expression crossed his face. "This isn't just for Beard anymore, this is what _**I**_ want. These faunus fuckers will leave Vale or die, and that's final."

He took in a deep breath, and continued, "Whoever finds this tape, just know that what I'm doing is wrong, I know that. This is my own selfish desire and no amount of bullshit will let me save face." He stops and sits down in the chair in the middle of the room. He facepalmed HARD, an audible _SLAP_ is heard, "My desire? Who the hell am I kidding? I don't have a choice, I've already fucked up so I may as well finish the job. I can't be a huntsman, not after this..."

Jaune barked out a dry a chuckle, "Nice fucking going Jaune, you can't choose between owning up or saying you have no choice anymore. Honestly, I don't care which one it is anymore, I just have to keep going. I just have to keep going because that's all I goddamn know." he continued with a dry, humorless tone.

As far as anyone else would be concerned, the tape was over. However, Ruby was not anyone else. She watched the next hours of footage, hours of Jaune breaking down. He'd switch randomly from guilt, to anger, to despair, to self-degradation, to loneliness, along with a whole cadre of other emotions and behaviors. Finally the tape reached its grand finale, with Jaune looking absolutely broken.

"There were so many things I wanted to do... and now I can't. If I had known I would do _this_ I would've risked it all. I would've challenged Nora to an arm wrestling match. I would've asked Yang for unarmed combat training. I would've told Ruby I love her... because all of it pales in comparison to what I've done." By this point, Ruby had enough.

She paused the video and left her headphones behind. She didn't care if anyone saw her, she had long since run out of tears. She left the dorm without a second though, still clad in her pajama pants and tank top. She paused as she spotted him in the hallway, still in his hoodie and jeans, carrying a load of laundry back to his dorm. He barely got out a, "H-hey Rub-" before a burst of rose petals tackled him to the ground.

The tears came back again. It took a while for Jaune to notice, but eventually he wrapped his arms around her as she cried into his chest. He managed to eek out, "W-w-what's w-wrong Ruby?" before something incredible happened.

She dove in from above and **kissed** him. It was quick, only lasting 10 seconds more or less, but she **kissed** him. When they separated Jaune was the perfect picture of fear. His eyes wide as dinner plates, his breathing heavy, his eyebrows raised and pulled together, his upper eyelids raised, his lower eyelids tensed, and his lips slightly stretched horizontally back to his ears. He could only mutter one word, the million lien question.

_"Why?"_

That certainly was the question, wasn't it? Here she is tackling her first friend at Beacon and kissing him on the lips seemingly out of nowhere, so why? She forgot all pretenses of reason. She said what she had to say, no, _wanted_ to say for a long time and by the brothers he was gonna hear it in all its glory.

 _"Because I love you, you dork! You deserve love, you deserve_ _h_ _appiness!"_

That's when the dam broke, they both cried an ugly cry in that hallway. They laid there for a few minutes, wrapped in each other's arms and wordlessly signing a pact, a sacred trust that would never be broken. Ruby was going to see those tapes through to the end, and then they'd work out all of his problems... _**together**_.

* * *

**As far as I'm concerned, this is probably gonna be a one-shot. However, should you guys like this weird mix of hotline miami and rwby I will happily return to the keyboard to type more. Plus I'm just a sucker for lancaster, I can't really do anything about that. This idea's been stuck in my head for ages, I'm just glad to finally get it out. I'll probably need to consult the internet for advice on writing horror to really make those Jacket sections pop should I plan to add more chapters later on.**

**To be continued???**


	2. The Ringing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune and Ruby work things out.

**I'm just gonna say this now, Jaune's total kill count is _im_ _possible._ I mean, Jacket served in the special forces, but he only killed around 400. So yeah, enjoy the fluff... and the terror.**

* * *

When both of them returned to their respective dorm rooms their teams each had their own reactions. When Ruby's team saw her return after crying in that hallway they had interrogated her handily, to which she replied that everything was fine. Jaune's team on the other hand, they could care less that he had been crying. They were too distracted by the small smile tugging at his lips to care what happened, they hadn't seen him smile in ages.

When Saturday came, Jaune had gotten his usual 4 hours of sleep and woken up early. He had been worried all night, for he knew what Ruby had implied by what she said. The only time he'd ever called himself worthless or not worthy of happiness was when he recorded those damn tapes. He had been so close to being done too, he estimated that he only needed to go on one final jaunt before the fang finally gave up.

However, he knew none of that was anywhere near the truth. He'd been hoping in the back of his mind that _someone_ would find those tapes. He also knew that one guy with a bat and a shotgun was not going to be enough to convince the white fang to leave for good. Even when he started raiding dust caches and added molotovs to his arsenal he knew it would never be enough. He was just one guy after all.

And he knew he wouldn't have come out of his "final mission" _alive_.

One of the only things that spurred him on was the ringing. When it happened he couldn't see straight, couldn't think straight. It framed his vision in white, dulled his hearing, and made his head feel like it was about to split open. The ringing told him to hurt, told him to **kill**.

By the time he pulled up to a hideout it was unbearable. Contacts at nightclubs and bars always gave in eventually, leading him to either a genuine location or into an ambush. He didn't care which one it was anymore.

He brought his hand up to his head, rubbing his hand through his scraggly blonde hair. That damned question rang through his head like the sound of his shotgun in the night. It'd been repeated in his dreams time and time again, yet he didn't have an answer. A long time ago he swore his vendetta against the white fang had only been some obligation, because he acted before thinking and hurt people. That had gone out the window when Junior was the first to lead him into an ambush.

His aura in tatters, he came back to Junior's to burn it to the ground. It was all over the news, although no one knew it was him who did it. Luckily his identity was once again safe and his aura healed his wounds from that night before his teammates saw them. Speaking of his teammates...

"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" Nora's obvious fake snoring alerted him to the fact that he was being watched. It didn't matter, he grabbed his hoodie and jeans as he went to go take his morning shower.

*****

Both of the teams sat together in the cafeteria for breakfast. They did their usual exchange, talking about plans for the weekend and Nora eating an unholy amount of pancakes. Jaune sat at the far right end of the group and was by this point nothing but a ball of anxiety with legs. He was waiting for the moment Ruby would betray him, letting loose a torrent of information and making sure he was locked up for a long, long time.

...but it never came...

Instead she simply sat across the table from him. Whenever he looked up she smiled at him, and he smiled back. He remembered that kiss in the hallway of the dorms and his smile grew slightly wider. Terrified as he was he came to realize it was a wonderful experience nonetheless. Not that he thought he deserved it by any means, the overwhelming guilt of his misdeeds rarely paused to stop gnawing at his mind.

"Hey Jaune?"

He looked up to see who it was, and for the umpteenth time that morning he saw Ruby smiling at him again, "Y-Yes?"

"I was thinking maybe we could hang out today? Do some studying and maybe play some games on our scrolls?"

Yang was the only one to witness the exchange, everyone else was caught up in Nora's antics. She spotted the hopeful look on her little sister's face and hoped with her. Yang dreaded that he would come up with the same excuses as usual, saying things like 'he had work to do' or 'he wasn't feeling up for it'.

"Sure." he answered, his smile the widest anyone had seen in a long time. 'How strange' she thought to herself. Not only was vomit boy smiling, but he was also agreeing to do something other than burying his head in his work.

Little did she know, his "work" was a complete and utter lie.

Both teams eventually finished breakfast allowing Jaune and Ruby to return to team RWBY's dorm together.

*****

He could've sworn he saw stars in Ruby's eyes when he pulled the dusty gaming console out from its box under his bed.

Jaune got comfortable on the floor, putting down his controller to adjust his hoodie... when Ruby plopped down on his lap.

His face was on fire, "R-R-Ruby! What're you d-doing!?!" he exclaimed.

She looked up, "What? It's the best seat in the dorm." she replied, feigning ignorance. If he took a closer look, he would see the slightest hint of red on her cheeks, but the knight was not so perceptive.

'First the kiss, now this!?! When did she get so bold all of a sudden? Fine, just relax, don't make it weird.'

He grabbed his controller, wrapped his arms snugly around her waist, and rested his head on her shoulder. She smelled like her namesake, although he wouldn't dare say that out loud.

Once they each cooled down, they had a blast playing a fighting game on the console. Since it was Jaune's console he had plenty of practice, but it was soon met with Ruby's expertise in fighting games. After trading wins each time the score was 2-2, and they were both laughing.

"You're pretty good at this. I know it's your console and all, but who did you practice with?" Ruby asked innocently.

Jaune looked contemplative, "My friend Beard and I used to p-play all the time... we got so competitive b-back when we still lived in Mistral. We w-were always betting something or challenging each other... I-I miss him."

Ruby looked sad, but pressed on, "That's the friend you were talking about... in that tape... I'm sorry." If he didn't get past this, Jaune knew she would be apologizing more than Pyrrha does on a daily basis.

"No it's ok, if anything h-he would've wanted me to not make such a f-fuss over him." he chuckled dryly, "yet look what I-I'm doing now." he joked with a bitter tone.

Ruby ventured further, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to him?"

Jaune took a deep breath, it tickled the side of Ruby's neck. "Do you remember w-when Blake ran away?" Jaune asked.

If she wasn't curious before she definitely was now, "Yeah." she said.

"When I w-went to Beacon Beard and I s-still kept in touch, he even m-moved to Vale to work for h-his uncle." he paused, "That night the white f-fang came to steal dust from t-the docks, it happened to be B-Beard's shift."

Ruby felt his breath start getting erratic, "When his u-uncle told me he c-couldn't find him I c-came right away..." he paused again, an explosive sigh came from his lips as he trembled.

"I-I _found_ him a-alright, he was i-in a dumpster. T-Tossed in there l-like he was n-nothing. After I s-saw that I j-just couldn't bear i-it so then I-I just-"

Ruby stopped him, holding his trembling hand with two of her own, "It's ok, you don't have to keep going." she assured him.

Another deep breath, "My final... _outing w-_ was supposed to be this weekend..." another pause, "I-I'm glad you stopped me."

He held her hands in his own, inspecting them carefully and feeling her soft, fair-skinned hands. "Just know, you're more important than any dumb mission, so don't hesitate to ask me for anything." he whispered into her ear sensually.

Ruby was as red as her hooded cloak. 'It isn't fair! Just a few seconds ago he was a nervous, stuttering mess, but now he decides to be all confident again!' she complained.

'Wait, I know how I can tip the scales!' she realized.

As Jaune was still seemingly fascinated with her delicate hands, she leaned to the right and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you, Jaune."

He swallowed hard, a firm blush finding his cheeks but not reaching the roots of his hair. "Any time." he said nervously.

*****

After studying for a while, the two changed into some more comfortable clothes to watch a movie on Ruby's scroll. Jaune was in a t-shirt and shorts while Ruby was in her tank top and PJ pants. They both laid down on Ruby's bed, the little reaper laying down on Jaune's right arm. She fell asleep first, apparently his arm makes a good pillow. Then Jaune noticed something peculiar.

 _The ringing stopped_.

He couldn't remember one time today he heard the ringing apart from this morning, 'Usually if flares up on days meant for outings.' With that final thought he put the scroll down and fell into a deep slumber as well. Tucked under a blanket and in a deep sleep, Ruby had forgotten all about Pyrrha's little investigation.

Speaking of the investigation, the detectives had come up with absolutely nothing. They found so little that they were extremely demoralized, but their patience was to be rewarded.

The door to the dorm swiftly opened and the rest of team RWBY entered, "We're back sis, hope you-" the words died on her lips as Blake shushed her.

Whispering, Yang continued, "What? I can barely see in here." The lights were off, so only Blake could see the adorable pair sleeping peacefully with her enhanced faunus senses.

Blake carefully turned on the lights, mixed reactions were had among the group.

Weiss was annoyed.

Blake was nonplussed.

Yang was... impressed?

"Damn vomit boy, when did you get so ballsy?" she cursed under her breath.

"Hey have you guys seen Jaune-Jaune, he's not in- _ **GASP** "_

It was now team (J)NPR's time to react.

Nora looked about ready to tell the whole school, and was super happy for Jaune.

Ren simply smiled.

Pyrrha was happy for Jaune too, but couldn't help but feel... _something_ eating at her.

The pair's peaceful sleep was not to last. If one looked closely, Jaune began to shiver. His face began to scrunch up, and anyone could easily tell that he was not having a pleasant dream.

*****

An all too familiar sight haunted his vision... what he could see anyways. It was dark, but as he felt around he confirmed he had been here before. Those dirty red tiles, with the decaying white walls. He only needed to see the disgusting sink and toilet to know this was the 'waiting room'. The shower head in the open shower still looked as broken as before, and he didn't dare to take a peek into that damned bathtub.

As he opened the rotting, mahogany door, he felt his bare feet step onto the cold, white tiles of the floor. A soft, bright blue light overcame the left side of the room, illuminating part of the white carpeted section of the room. The walls were the same white as the bathroom, the same condition too. All the decorative plants were completely trashed. Pots shattered and plants with their accompanying dirt sprawled across the floor. Puddles of blood and random papers scarcely littered the floor, surrounding the white coffee table in the middle of the large room.

The neon blue light also illuminated a black chair with a small figure in it. The girl sat in a ladylike, formal position with her hands in her lap. She had fair skin and a familiar outfit. She wore a black long-sleeved blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, over which is a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a matching skirt with red lining. She also wore a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trims around the top, and red soles.

Her outfit was topped by a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins. Her emblem appeared as a large silver buckle on her wide black belt, which was slung around her hips on an angle. The only thing separating her from the girl he knew and loved was the border collie mask covering her head.

She spoke glumly, sounding disappointed because of his very presence, "Oh, it's you again. It looks like you've been busy since we last met." The light faded, a different bright yellow light turning his attention to the middle of the room. It was himself.

"I see that you remember me now, don't you? But you still don't know who I am." He was in his outfit he wore when going on outings. The rooster mask's dead, lifeless eyes staring back at him as he lounged with his gloved hands behind his head. He had one foot over the other, a position he would've assumed himself if he was the same man he was at the beginning of the school year.

As soon as he appeared he was gone, a furious red light illuminating the livid figure on the right side of the room. She looked about ready to jump out of her seat, and he swore he could see amber burning through the eyes of her black panther mask. His eyes reluctantly drifted to her outfit, confirming his suspicions.

She wore a black buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front. Underneath this was a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and white shorts with a zipper on the front of each leg.

She also wore black low-heeled boots and full stockings with a color gradation of black to purple at her ankles. Her emblem was visible on the outside of both thighs just below her shorts in white. On her left arm was a black detached sleeve with a silver cuff around her bicep, and black ribbons were wrapped around both forearms. A small, loose, black scarf was wrapped around her neck, blending in with her long black hair that spilled out of the back of her mask.

"Why did you come back here? You're not a nice person, are you? You make me sick!" she hissed, so angry she looked like she was vibrating in her seat.

After a pause, the girl in the dog mask spoke again, "A picture is starting to take form here... I wonder if it's accurate. Some pieces seem to fit. Or maybe I just like the way it looks."

The bright yellow light in the middle lit up again. The confident figure of himself spoke with a sense of finality, "I think our time is up... but we'll meet again. Before you go, here's four questions to ponder."

He raised one relaxed arm, holding up four fingers, "Question number one: Do you like hurting other people?" Did he? He wasn't sure. He contemplated this many times before, but feared the answer.

Three fingers, "Question number two: Why is Blake here?" He didn't know to be honest, of all the people in the faceless void of his nightmares he did not expect the quiet faunus girl to show up.

Two fingers, "Question number three: Where are you right now?" Jaune knew all too well. It was a perfect replication of the rooms he rampaged through, pump-action shotgun in hand. Or maybe he was referring to something else.

One finger, "And the final question: Why are we having this conversation?" He could feel himself getting angry. He didn't know, why didn't **he** tell **himself**?

His hand returned behind the mask, leaning back into that same smug position once again. "That's all for now. See you soon..."

His vision faded to black... and he finally woke up.

*****

He awoke with a start as he saw a score of fuzzy colorful figures surrounding him, _**intruders**. _He was sweating a gallon per minute, his eyes darting around the room, his mind racing, and the ringing came back in full force.

'red white yellow **BLACK** '

He dove at the intruder, his hands easily finding their way around the figure's neck in a fraction of a second. Everything was coming into focus, his vision still framed white, but he was starting to gain back his senses.

He felt **PAIN** , his entire body **ACHING** and the feeling only got stronger the longer he was awake. The figure below him struggled, grasping at his hands. His iron **GRIP** never slacking.

More noises started to register, it hurt his ears. Yelling, screaming, ringing, he didn't care, didn't let up. 'kill, Kill, KILL, **KILL** '

When he spotted a pair of ears on top of the figure's head below him it only spurred him on, "FAUNUS **FUCK** , YOU KILLED HIM, **AND YOU _WON'T_ TAKE HER TOO**" he raged.

After all this happened within the space of a few dozen agonizing seconds, his vision cleared... and he finally recognized the person under him.

_"Blake?"_

**"JAUNE!"**

A precision kick to his side sent him tumbling, his body finally succumbing to the combined pain of multiple people beating him like a mattress.

He was facing the floor. He attempted to get up, but his legs failed him. His forehead hit the wooden floor with a sickening thud before he pushed himself up with his arms.

He laid partially on his side, slowly forcing his head up before the sharp, deafening _schwing_ of a blade being drawn pierced his ears.

Shaking so much as to nearly be convulsing, Jaune saw the tip of Myrtenaster pointing right between his eyes, making him go cross eyed to stare back at its unmistakable, trembling form.

The worst part was Weiss herself... she was crying.

The refined heiress, the Ice Queen, the one he once referred to as 'Snow Angel', was crying.

Her grace was gone from her features, only replaced by wide eyes, quivering lips, and a scant few tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"P-Please... s-stop..." she begged, "P-Please **stop.** "

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**That sure escalated quickly. I hope I didn't put you guys to sleep with my long descriptions of Dream Ruby and Dream Blake's outfits, as they're literally just descriptions of their regular combat outfits. The blond killer has hell to pay next chapter, and he also has some explaining to do. I highly recommend you give some sections another read with the hotline miami soundtrack in the background, it really gave an extra punch to the atmosphere. I'd recommend listening to 'Dust' from Hotline 2 right up until the dream sequence. Once you reach the dream sequence, play 'Silver Lights' from Hotline 1. After that, play 'Fahkeet' from Hotline 2 for the final section. Until then, see you soon...**

**To be** **continued...**


	3. A Fickle Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake gets a lead.

**Jaune's Tapes: The fic where I desperately try to fit in more vigilante action, but can't because there's no spot where it fits and I've written myself into a corner. All the while I dread the day I have to write smut because my friend reads all the shit that I write, but let me assure you... _the smut is inevitable_.**

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Blake didn't know what to expect when Jaune woke up, but she sure as hell didn't expect what _actually_ happened that fateful night.

It was a swift movement as he flew at her from his position on the bed. Those eyes, cold and merciless, stared into her soul as his vice-like grip threatened to snap her neck. She tried to say something, as her hands pried at his impossibly tight grip.

His eyes went from merciless to enraged at the snap of a finger, screaming obscenities while figures above him punched and pulled at him. However, something he said struck her as strange.

_"YOU WON'T TAKE HER TOO!"_

She pondered those words as she laid on her back coughing, her partner kneeling next to her. An argument was happening across the room, but she didn't pay it any mind. That is... until Yang spoke up.

"Are you blind Ruby? You saw what he did to her!" Yang screeched to something she couldn't hear.

Blake tried her best to speak, "Don-GLGK" she gurgled, coughing harshly.

Her partner shushed her, "Easy kitty cat, breathe. You shouldn't be talking right now." she instructed with a concerned look.

The faunus took many deep breaths, but started coughing again. She choked for a second, gasping for air and feeling the pain in her throat. Her vision was a little blurred, causing her to rub her eyes. After taking a few minutes to regain her composure she spoke with perfect clarity; although her voice was raspy and strained.

"It's not his fault."

The blonde brawler sounded utterly lost, "W-What do you mean?"

She took a moment to think of the right words so the blonde could understand, "He... thought I was an intruder. Jaune was only trying to protect your sister."

Her vision refocused just in time to see that Yang's brow had furrowed, "Look I know it's hard to believe, but-"

"Trust me." Blake interrupted firmly, a serious look on her face. She felt a little belittled to say the least. She almost has a near death experience and this is how she treated her? It's not like Yang had any idea what's going on.

Her partner looked shocked before she slowly cooled back down to her concerned look, "I hope you know what you're talking about."

She gave a nod, her face neutral, "I'll talk with him tomorrow, we should probably make sure Weiss doesn't do anything rash."

The blonde nodded back and walked up behind the heiress, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Put it down Weiss, Blake says vomit boy isn't at fault here."

Blue eyes glared at her, "Are you two crazy!?! We can't just-"

"Look, I'm not happy about it either, but we should at least respect her choice. If she doesn't wanna get the authorities involved then it would be a waste of time to go ahead and get them involved anyways." the brawler explained.

Weiss cooled down, a somber look crossing her face, "I suppose so." She took a final glance over her shoulder as she exited the dorm to return her blade to its rightful place. She was stopped right outside the door, as some people had heard the commotion. The 'Ice Queen' was bombarded with questions like some common peasant. It took a while to assure everyone that nothing was amiss before she continued to her locker.

With one obstacle out of the way, Yang continued to face her hardest challenge yet. She spotted her little sister hugging Jaune, the latter hugging his knees while muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." over and over again. His teeth chattered, his eyes staring intensely at his hands that'd been around Blake's neck only minutes ago. Those same hands were shaking as he looked them over, color slowly returning to them as he internally panicked.

The two sisters exchanged a look as Ruby moved to the side. Jaune didn't notice his fellow blond's presence until she spoke, "You can go run back to your dorm vomit boy, you and Blake are going to have a talk tomorrow so don't run too far." she warned coldly.

He didn't waste a second. The knight scrambled to his feet as he bolted past his teammates, each foot uncontrollably pushing past the other. He ran and didn't spare a glance back, afraid to even look at his teammates. He slammed the door behind him and collapsed on his bed. He was physically drained, but he could not sleep; not after all that happened that night.

*****

He couldn't tell how much time had passed when his scroll vibrated in his pocket. All he knew was that it was Sunday and he had one new message.

'Meet me on the roof.' - Blake

He slipped out of bed, still in his plain white t-shirt and black shorts. The ringing was back, but at this point that was the least of his problems. He walked to the door without much difficulty.

"Where are you going?"

He turned to the sound's source and saw Ren sitting at a desk. The poor boy, having volunteered to watch Jaune overnight, was pale all over his face due to a lack of sleep. The stoic gunman's eyes looked about ready to close and drag him into a very deep sleep.

"B-Blake asked me to come to the roof." Jaune replied.

Ren merely nodded before letting his head rest in his arms, falling asleep on the spot. Jaune exited the dorm and made his way to the roof.

*****

As he closed the door behind him, he saw Blake sitting on the edge of the roof in her combat gear. She was staring off into the sun rise with her back turned to him. Her long, black hair swayed gently in the morning breeze, letting Jaune get a peek at her covered neck. He tried to get her attention by clearing his throat... no response.

When he walked up to her and tapped her shoulder, Blake disappeared. She turned into several wavy shadows before finally fading from the world. He heard someone walking up behind him.

"Sorry, just had to make sure you wouldn't try anything funny." she apologized.

With no small amount of dread, he realized that she wasn't wearing her scarf that normally accompanied her combat outfit. The sickly, purple mark around her throat almost proved too much for Jaune to handle. He couldn't tell if it healed or not, a score of factors kept him far away from Blake that night.

"N-No worries, I probably would've done the same." he reasoned with a glum face.

The faunus nodded, her face neutral. 'All neutral.' Jaune thought. He knew why, it was the best course of action. He'd been outed as a freak last night, so he'd already been expecting to be ostracized, kicked out, and live the rest of his life as a farmer. A wispy voice spoke up.

"You're most likely curious why I wanted to talk, rather than simply calling the police. However, something you said while you had your hands around my neck really caught my curiosity. I assume it would not be too much to ask to want to indulge in my own curiosity, right Arc?"

He nodded. After all, what right did he have to deny her? He almost killed her and just thinking about it sent chills up his entire body. Although what she did ask came seemingly out of nowhere.

_"Now tell me, what did you see last night?"_

No words could describe the fear he felt, backed into a corner and made to answer for his crimes. As he saw it he had two options. He could lie and say that he attacked her out of a genuine wish to see her dead, landing him a spot in Vale's finest prison cell. Or... he could tell the truth. Lying had done him no good as of late, so he chose option B. He knew how crazy it would sound, but a little crazy talk would be nothing compared to what was happening as of late.

"I-" he took a deep breath, "I couldn't really _recognize_ any of y-you... and I didn't remember where I was. E-Everything was... blurry? More fuzzy really."

"You thought we were intruders?" Blake guessed.

His eyes were wide, "How did-"

"You said some things while you attacked me. You said that I killed someone, and also that I would not do the same to Ruby." she explained.

An explosive sigh, almost a shudder, escaped his lips, "G-God, I said that?" he wondered, mostly to himself. "Don't worry a-about it, what are you getting a-at with all of this anyways?"

A sad smile formed on Blake's face as she walked toward the door, "Nothing really. Just don't be afraid to ask for help... please?" she paused right before exiting, waiting for an answer.

This entire meeting had been a bit shocking for Jaune, but now it seemed completely upside down. 'No arrests? No anger? I almost killed her! Why isn't she mad or beating me up or just _something_!' He was almost angry she was doing nothing short of torturing him on that very roof.

"Jaune?"

The look and tone of genuine worry wasn't helping. He let it go, "Y-Yeah, sure thing." With that, Blake opened the door and descended down the stairs.

She made her way to the dorm, reflecting on the conversation. While she had almost died by his hands last night, although she found it amazing he would go so far as to take someone else's life for Ruby's sake.

When she eventually made it to the dorm she found Yang waiting for her in a chair. Her partner still wore her sleepwear, some black shorts and a yellow tank top with her emblem on her chest.

"How'd it go?"

The blonde looked a little sad, but was mostly anxious for answers.

"All you have to know is that it wasn't his fault. He wasn't thinking straight, and I suggest you pass on the same information to his team. We'll find more answers as we continue investigating. We just have to be more careful when he's waking up."

Blake was far from stupid. First the jitters, then he started acting different, and now night terrors? With each new symptom piling on the next she feared the worst. She was hopeful when Yang told her Jaune had agreed to spend time with Ruby for once. At that point she thought it was just some small inconvenience that could be solved with a little quality time with friends. That theory had been blown out of the water the moment his hands found their way around her neck. She realized, with dawning horror, that the usually goofy and friendly blonde... was going through the motions an **army vet** did before they typically offed themselves. While it was technically a lead in their investigation, it only served to further confuse Blake. All she could really do was hope he would heed her advice in the future.

*****

Since the important issues of last night had settled, Jaune thought it was time to finally get some rest. He would worry about everyone else later, all he cared about at the moment was that he wasn't going to prison.

He slept with no major night terrors, but not without interruption. So stricken he was by grief after his attack against Blake that it found its way into his dreams. This time, however, he would wake up to a pleasant surprise, as someone knew how great of a pillow he was from experience.

Waking up with the little reaper curled up next to him certainly took his mind off of previous events. The compromising position still made him blush, but he calmed himself down. As he looked upon her peaceful, smiling, sleeping face his heart melted.

'She's so darn cute.' he gushed internally.

He pulled up the blankets, making sure both parties were comfortable as possible. Carefully wrapping his arms around his napping partner, he drifted off to sleep once again.

Jaune wouldn't ask anyone else to understand or even to forgive him. As long as he had Ruby, nothing else mattered.

After all, if not for her... he would be dead.

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**Yeah I know, shorter chapter than usual. Just needed to get this one out to clear my head for chapter 4. I'm rather new to fanfic writing if you couldn't tell, so by all means if you've got advice then shoot. Speaking of advice, I'd like to credit that same friend I always blather on about for helping me out with some of the bits and pieces of this chapter. He was a great help and he's probably making an account on this site soon, so when the time comes I'll link their profile. Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed.**

**To be continued...**


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